Tornadoes touch down in Okla. as storms pass

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — At least two tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma Thursday as a powerful storm system moved through the state, but there were no immediate reports of any injuries, weather officials said.

The National Weather Service reported a tornado touched the ground Thursday near the town of Perkins in northeast Oklahoma. A second tornado with the same storm was reported near Ripley. Both were in rural areas and didn’t seem to cause significant damage.

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., warned that there was a moderate risk of severe weather over much of eastern and central Oklahoma — the same area where a tornado last week killed 24 people in Moore. That tornado was a top-of-the-scale EF5 twister that cut a 17-mile path of destruction.

Tornado warnings were in effect Thursday in parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Storms could also produce 3-inch hail.

“Right now we’ve been getting a few thunderstorms, but they’re very severe supercell thunderstorms,” said Michael Scotten, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services. “The whole storm rotates, and they produce on occasion some tornadoes and heavy hail.”

Scotten said the severe weather threat would continue over parts of Oklahoma until 10 p.m. Thursday.

Severe weather was also possible in other parts of the central United states, including parts of Kansas Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.